The Repairs to the Battleship USS North Carolina-- Part 1

Back on June 12th, I wrote about the USS North Carolina remaining at its berth during the extensive hull repairs it has to undergo in the upcoming years. I applaud the decision. Downtown Wilmington just wouldn't look right with its silhouette gone.

By far, my all-time favorite US warships are the battleships. And, of the battleships, my favorite is, of course, the USS North Carolina. By the time Naval architecture had reached the late 1930s, the battleship was the most beautiful ship afloat and reached the ultimate design with the last four (New Jersey, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri). I am so happy that these last four will be preserved.

I remember recently seeing an aerial picture in Pearl Harbor of one of the last four tied up next to the raised hull of the USS Oklahoma and it truly dwarfed the older one.

I can remember donating pennies, nickels and dimes (and even a few quarters, a real lot of money back in the early 60s) to save the ship. School children all across North Carolina donate change.

My brother and I constantly argued about which was the more important, battleships or aircraft carriers, with me taking the former even though I clearly knew the age of battleships was over.

I came across a couple of articles about the repairs on the North Carolina and will give some more detail.

The Showboat's the Finest. --Cooter